What is Information Technology Communications?

Designing and maintaining a computer network has evolved into a very
complex task. Yet, at the same time, the importance of local networks
(LANs) and the Internet has drastically increased. Gone are the days
when email, electronic databases and instant messaging were nothing
more than conveniences.

Scope

Our most visible task is providing users with a place to plug in their
computer. Once their network cable is plugged into a wall jack, we have
to make sure there are electronic devices that connect the computer to
the rest of the world. These devices, called switches are
infrastructure just as plumbing or air conditioning. Most people go
about their daily work never even realizing what is happening behind
the scenes, in all those mysterious locked closets.

Eventually, switches and other similar devices have to be connected
together, different campuses need to talk to each other, and all of
this needs to be monitored. There are close to a thousand such devices in
the USF network. Some departments and colleges take care of their own
switches, but even so they have to eventually connect to the campus
backbone.

Tasks, from A to Z

Our job begins with specifying standards for campus networks, and
designing networks to meet these standards and customer
requirements. In case of new construction or major renovation, we also
interface with the architects and advice them about the best and most
economical designs. To perform these duties competently, we keep up with the
leading-edge industry developments, emerging standards, and make sure
we are familiar with the full spectrum of products offered.

Once designed, we perform the actual physical installation of the
devices, as well as firmware configurations. Finally, we make sure
that any devices under our aegis are kept upt with the latest feature
enhancements and firmware patches and monitored for operational
problems. We also watch industry mailing lists for any security or bug
alerts that may be announced.

In case of problems with the use of networks, we consult and support
help desks and departmental administrators with pinpointing the
causes, and fixing them.

Wireless

Information Technology Communications is also involved in implementing wireless
access on campus. The radio spectrum is a limited resource, and
without proper coordination different installations are bound to
interfere with each other. Worse, improperly configured installations
can expose the university community to hackers and other unsavory
characters.

USF's Computer Network

USF has a computer network that covers practically the entirety of
campus. Almost all faculty and staff offices and all residence hall
bedrooms are served by switched, 100 megabit per second Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet
full-duplex connections (meaning that you can send and receive data at
the same time at a speed of a hundred million or a billion bits per second). The
equipment serving desktop connections consists mostly of Cisco Catalyst and Foundry Networks switches.

Most facilities are wired compliant to Category 5 or Category 5e cable
and wiring practices, with new buildings being built to Category 6 or 6a
standards. Similarly, almost all buildings have fiber optic cable into
wiring centers and internally to allow for high-speed connections to
the redundant, double-starred 10 Gigabit per second campus backbone.

USF is connected to the Internet with redundant 500 megabit per second
connections through Cogent and Time Warner Telecom as well as through
Commercial Peering Service using our Florida Lambdarail connection,
and to the Brighthouse Cable Modem network with a 100 megabit
per second connection.
We also have direct links to the USF satellite campuses and other local
institutions.